Curtain Fall - Chapter 14

Jill and Carol lay uncaring of what transpired around them as they clung to each other in a swirling maelstrom of light, color and energy. They could feel it pushing and pulling at them from every direction. There was no up, no down. Nothing but this swirling chaos.

Carol could feel it pulling at her and knew she didn’t have the strength to resist it. Soon she’d feel herself pulled from Jill and quickly eroded away until nothing was left! “Jill! Help me! I’m not strong enough to hold on...” she cried out with all the mental power she possessed.

Jill could feel the desperation and feel Carol weakening and fragmenting. Unless something was done, Carol would soon be gone! “No. Never! I WILL NOT LET YOU DIE!!”, Jill howled in return. She held tighter and gave her strength to fight, to hold on tooth and nail, but it felt as if Carol was slowly fading from existence. Damn this storm of energy! She couldn’t let it kill the person more important to her than anything in life!

Shield her! She needed to redirect this power. Such was the irresistible power around them, Jill knew she’d likely not survive this effort if she made the decision but Jill had no alternative. She reached her mental arms out and pulled.

The energy seemed to feel her intent and changed from a wild storm into an unstoppable current of fire that flowed into Jill. Burning and scouring it flowed into Jill. More and more until it felt like Jill could hold no more; yet still it came.

The fire filled Jill until the attendant pain was all that she knew and was. Then she felt some sort of membrane or barrier give way within her and she was elsewhere.

Carol felt the change in the currents and felt the energy flooding into Jill. Through their bond she could feel the merest taste of what was happening and felt more energy than she could even conceive filling her. Then with a feeling like a soap bubble popping Jill let go of Carol and started disappearing. Carol refused to let her separate and tried to hold on. She could sense from Jill that she felt this was a sacrifice to save Carol and rage swelled up in her center. "No! You’ll not leave me! We survive this together!!” The rage helped her hold on in spite of Jill’s attempt to release and as they disappeared she could feel part of her weakened psyche pull like taffy and be left behind.

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Simultaneously—

David looked at the Brazilian female and raised his hands to avoid spurring an angry response from her. The tone of voice she’d spoken in, although in a language he’d never heard before, was demanding. He interpreted, based on what his advisors had concluded, that this woman would be unused to male opposition. The leader also seemed to be concerned for Lady Adrasteia’s welfare.

“Who are you? Who do you represent Madam?” David gestured at himself and others nearby, “We are all concerned for her as well. What do you want with her?”

Itimori, grimaced and realized she’d spoken in her native tongue. She then spoke slowly and with effort, “Step back. We must help her.”

David’s eyes widened as she responded in heavily accented but reasonably understandable English. “Help her? Do you know what is happening?”

Itimori could sense the strange male’s surprise and hope. She realized that this male had some relationship with Asha and was not necessarily an enemy. “We not all know. She does thing not possible. We must help her!”

David could see and almost feel the earnest anguish the alien woman gave off. Not knowing what to do he looked at the two women convulsing on the ground and nodded sharply and stepping back he wave at them, “Go! Help them!”

Itimori looked to De’elen and nodded, where upon both dropped to their knees around the figures. Carefully the women raised their hands out closer to the bodies but as soon as The first, De’elen, made contact she threw herself back with a cry of pain. “By the Gods, Iti, she is in such agony! It is as if a nexus on this scale is burning her up!”, she gasped to Itimori in their native language. “No one could handle this much!”

“Can we take some; ground it somehow?”

“I don’t know. This is n’dmi me'a of these humans! It isn’t ours.” De’elen paused and with frightened eyes, reached out to grasp Itimori’s hand. “I think our only chance is try this as an amalgam!”

Itimori looked at her cousin and smiled with frightened eyes, “Well, you said you wanted an adventure...”

De’elen knew that attempting an amalgam, merging themselves to form a single mind for this purpose, was a very dangerous proposition even with close familial blood. Being simply relations meant it would be more unstable and dangerous. But as she looked at Asha and remembered the agony she was feeling, she felt it needed.

Itimori and De’elen clasped hands and opened themselves to one another. They could easily feel the others’ emotions and worked to merge them. Once the easy part was accomplished and the were in tune, each reached out to touch the the central awareness of the other. This proved much harder. They were becoming aware of the other but the closer the drew one another the more differences in their minds clashed. It almost felt like they were trying to rub against one another while wearing dresses embedded with tiny pieces of broken glass. While not deadly, it produced feelings of acute discomfort. They wouldn’t be able to hold this long.

Thus temporarily blended they turned their focus towards Asha. With their “sight” enhanced they found Asha once again painful to look upon. The child shown with a radiance as bright as the sun. It was as if Asha were trapped with in a tiny star of strange n’dmi me'a and she were being burnt and ripped by the chaotic maelstrom.

The woman with Asha was also caught within the torrential flow of energy. It was only through her perceived bond to Asha that prevented her utter destruction!

Discovery of this bond, as strong and complete as any they’d ever seen only confused them more. How was it possible? Asha should not have been able to gain a ‘true’ bond with these humans. Yet they could feel the indelible two way connection. If anything, they could see Asha flooding the human with life force and actually preventing the woman’s disillusion!

Itimori thought at De’elen, “How is this possible? Asha is spending herself to protect this human!”

De’elen replied, “I don’t know. What I do know is if we don’t help relieve the pressure, neither will survive! We have to try now!”

With that, she/they slowly reach down to touch the nova of n’dmi me'a That was killing Asha. Touching it was like purposefully dipping into liquid fire. The agony was more than they could bare, even from a glancing touch. They withdrew reflexively, but then they forced themselves to reach back in an effort to try to ground it in some way.

Once again unbelievable pain lit them up. They feared for Asha’s sanity even should they succeed. As they reached to start influencing the maelstrom, however, its character fundamentally shifted. And the storm suddenly became directional!

That power began to flow into Asha. She, who had been painful to look at now moved beyond that. To focus on her would be like looking into the sun. Their perceptions would be permanently damaged! To save themselves from being crippled they recoiled.

Then. She was gone. The physical shell of Asha was there, but her animus, her spirit wasn’t! What they’d felt wasn’t as if she’d died. It was simply gone. Blinking at each other and wiping the blood that had started bleeding from their noses, Itimori and De’elen tried to comprehend what had just happened.

David and his group had been watching with amazement and fear as these strange women crouched around Adrasteia. He saw them fighting with the shimmering energy with little success. The strain of what they were doing was causing physical harm. He could see them beginning to bleed. Then suddenly the shimmering disappeared and the women looked at one another in consternation.

“What happened? Is she alright?”, David asked.

Looking up, the closest woman, replied in an anxious tone, “We.. We not know. We think she gravely injured, but we can not sense her. Her mind. Her mind is no longer here.”

“Gone?!? How do you mean gone?”, David asked shocked on multiple levels. Did this mean that they had psychic abilities? Did Lady Adrasteia have them too? If so, so much he’d felt when interacting with Adrasteia could be explained.

The Brazilian alien shrugged irritability. “We can not feel her. Her body lives, yet she is gone.”

It was then that the strange woman draped on Lady Adrasteia began stirring. The figure pulled herself tighter against the motionless body and gave throaty whimpers.

De’elen reached to grab and move the woman but when she started to pull, the woman’s head spun up to face her and she made an inhuman hiss! What clung to Adrasteia no longer looked quite human anymore. The woman bared teeth now sharply pointed ,and it snarled, “Back away! None shall harm!!”

Those around Adrasteia jerked back startled. David could see that this creature had once looked like the woman who had carried Lady Adrasteia away from the crowd but no longer! While she’d been a moderately attractive woman before, she’d been transformed! Her normal skin and complexion had become a smooth and flawless ivory white. Her eyes had also changed to have deep red irises. Her nails had enlongated and thickened into deadly talons and her clothes rippled from the dramatically increased musculature beneath. She had gained true beauty, but it was a feral and deadly beauty.

“Holy shit!”, David exclaimed softly but freezing when the creature who now crouched over the unconscious heroine’s body flashed its gaze to him. The coiled power and menace shining in the woman’s eyes made him feel a bit like a rabbit staring at a cougar about to pounce.

“Cousin? What is crouched before us?”, De’elen asked quietly In their native tongue so the creature wouldn’t understand.

“I’m not certain,” Itimori responded, “It feels like a human, but diminished. Strangely, it is slippery and I can’t seem to sense it properly!”

“Diminished?”, Del’elen asked confused, “It still burns with more energy than we’ve ever seen in a human!”

“Yes,” Itimori replied slowly while analyzing, “But it’s mind seems lesser in complexity. It feels almost as if it were an animal protecting its mistress or... Mate!”

Di looked with shock at Itimori. “Mate!?!? You think Asha has mated with a human?”

“Asha seems not to suffer from the inability to utilize human n’dmi me'a.”, Itimori responded thoughtfully, “Have you felt the presence of any other Protectors? Any Tarneerans other than us at all?”

“Well, perhaps being transported by the Ripping changed her somehow; made humans palatable.”

“What happened to this woman then?”, De’elen asked.

“She was connected to Asha correct? Clearly she was injured at that time. Remember we are concerned that Asha would be driven insane; how much more likely would it be for a human?”, proposed Itimori.

The two watched the woman as she looked with almost despair at Asha and then the two of them with distrust.

“Uh, sir?”, the police officer spoke up, “I think the mob has learned that Lady Adrasteia is hurt! Listen!”

David turned to look towards the crowd and could hear voices beginning to rise calling out for the heroine. They sounded both stricken and demanding and David feared that if they saw Lady Adrasteia helpless they might riot. He quickly turned back to the women, “We need to move her. I fear what the crowd might do if they feel that she was injured by her efforts to reach them or injured by us!”

The women nodded and called out to their protectors, “We must move Asha to safety. We may need you to gently restrain the woman. Once safely held we can force her to sleep.” Their men quickly nodded and moved to surround the woman.

Carol saw then men shift and move and began growling. This caused the officer to begin pulling his firearm but before he could bring his weapon to bare, Carol leapt forward with more speed than the eye could easily follow and launched herself at the closest male. Before she could impact however, an almost transparent barrier flickered into existence and stopped her!

Carol’s previous growl rose to an animalistic howl and she thrust her arms forward. Initially the barrier continued to stop her but as she raged her clawed hands slowly penetrated forward, much to the man’s shock! The other men stared aghast until the talons were almost touching the man, when they broke from their shock and rushed to grab her. Once all 4 had grabbed her they finally stopped her from moving. With clear looks of shock and fear the two woman moved forward and gently touched the mad woman’s cheeks and head. Itimori and De’elen focused intensely and finally the crazed woman’s struggles faded until she fell limp.

Finally able to look away, David registered that the crowd were not going to be deterred but the barriers and he rushed to Adrasteia and gently lifted her. “We need to go ! NOW!”, and with that he began to move decisively towards a Armored troop carrier. Yelling for the soldier standing by to open it they quickly all got in and then began pulling away at David’s yelled orders.

They drove away with David radioing instructions to ensure their success in their escape of the mob, but once free, he turned to the women.

“Alright, who are you? What are you and why are you here?”, he asked as he fought to control his emotions.

Itimori, De’elen and their men were also now dealing with the adrenaline crash and with effort fought to avoid barking back. This man was obviously someone of importance and it would greatly complicate their situation if they were to antagonize him. Itimori being the leader, took a deep breath and looked at David as calmly as she could manage.

I am Itimori of Tirielen. My cousin is De’elen of Renaltpas. These men are our protectors and companions. We came here when we learned our cousin, Asha,” she waved at the unconscious body of Adrasteia, “lived and was here. We came to bring her home to her mother.”

Stunned, David exclaimed, “Wait, she really is one of you after all? She has been insisting she isn’t! She said that she was born and raised here!”

Itimori, shook her head, “I changed her, how do you say, swaddling when she was an infant. I would know my own cousin.”

“Then why....”, David began, then fell silent. Thinking furiously, he thought of several possibilities:

1. Adrasteia was in hiding (criminal? Exile?)
2. Adrasteia honestly didn’t remember she was of the people (memories had been known to be affected by the Curtain)
3. Rebellious? (Itimori had referred to the unconscious woman as a child)

David continued, “What happened to her? How did she come here do you think?”

Itimori replied, “She was one of the many who were taken from us when we suffered The Ripping; what you call the Curtain Fall. We thought her lost forever until we came to have one of your, uh, newspapers...” She shrugged, “We can only think the Ripping, brought her here.”

David nodded, “That makes sense. And as your people aren’t widely known of, she wouldn’t know you still exist.” David thought some more and then asked, “From how you identified yourselves, your cities are independent kingdoms. How welcoming are they of foreign cities? I ask because if they are not trusting, it might explain why she would deny being of your people.”

Itimori truly looked at David, “I can see why he must be a man of power. His ability to reason is most impressive!”, she thought. Aloud, she responded, “Yes, our cities are sovereign states. We did have an empire but we are lost to them now.”

David understood from this admission that the 3 cities, the three Tarneeran cities had been taken from their world and deposited here. There might be possibilities for coexistence after all! There was a threat, however. These people, obviously had powerful mental abilities. Powers David had previously been unaware of Adrasteia having! If they could truly establish relations safely then both sides might avoid conflicts resulting from misunderstandings!

“Can we speak with your people of power?”, seeing the lady Itimori tense he pushed on quickly, “If possible, we might arrange for you and your people to return home quickly and safely and generate goodwill between us!”

Itimori examined David closely and saw that he had no malice in his questions. She also understood that with the tools these humans were masters of she might be able to establish talks with the human leaders and her Hi-mother. A potential huge advantage over other cities.

She firmed up her shoulders and replied, “We are aware that you humans have mastered tools to communicate over distances. If you can get some of these to my Hi-Mother, I am certain we could begin discussions.”

In the coming hours the party surrounding Jill returned to the F-branch complex and the Tarneerans were escorted to spacious areas that were quickly declared off-limits for all others save those who would be determined later. He then made the call to the office of the VP.

That conversation was interesting in the extreme. A meeting was hurriedly arranged and David explained to the cabinet what he’d learned. When they learned that the Tarneerans all possessed psychic abilities but that as they were not cohesive as a culture, were apparently less advanced technologically and willing to open talks, the cabinet decided to offer limited assistance.

The initial path forward would be to arrange for satellite communications to be established. The following days would see one of the protectors returning to the bubble equipped with equipment to support satellite video conferencing. The protector then returned to Tirielen and presented the communications system to Annara, along with a technician to assist in setting the system up.

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In the days that Bolen, the protector, had taken to travel back to Tierielen, Itimori and De’elen had been caring for the comatose body that was their cousin. She remained completely unresponsive to all their efforts to awaken her.

The unknown but presumed bonded woman was uncontrollable unless allowed into the presence of Adrasteia. Once it was discovered by the woman that those attending her bondmate meant only to care and support her, she had calmed. It was only when they would try to separate them that she would become agitated and dangerous.

So it was with the Tarneerans and the savage woman gathered in the chamber they had secured for Lady Adrasteia that David and Secretary of State Karl Pennon found themselves as they waited for the first communication with Annara.

Itimori stared with fascination at the large flat panel display. “So this device will let us see and speak her majesty?”

David by this time had internalized that the Tarneeran society, while not primitive, had found their advancements going in other directions. Often strange and exotic directions. He responded, “Yes, it will almost be as if you are speaking to her through a window. You will not be able to touch her, but you will see and hear images of all who we will meet with.”

“A marvelous wonder!”, Itimori responded with excitement.

David looked at Adrasteia, and inquired, “My physicians have reported no change, but I must ask, have you seen any improvement in her condition?”

Itimori shook her head and looked with sad concern at her cousin, “No there is no sense of her animus at all.” She paused and with a puzzled frown continued, “My first thought would have been that her use of the nexus”, Itimori had explained that she and De’elen had watched their cousin invoke and draw many thousands at the public ceremony into a mental communion, “had destroyed her. But we’ve watched her carefully and deeply for days now and she is still feeding on n’dmi me'a. It is sustaining her. This would not happen if she were truly dead.”

Itimori and her cousin had talked of this extensively in fact. While Asha clearly had a bond with her female companion, they could not clearly see any other bonds. What they could visualize was an almost invisible web developing about her. Infinitely fine strands that wove to her. This supremely delicate and almost non-existent network seemed to be feeding her. The infinitely delicate seeming net collected n’dmi me'a rather like a spiders’s web and slowly drew it to her.

Like dew collecting at dawn on a web they could sense times when more energy would flow then others. Yesterday for example. In the morning they had felt the flow markedly increase. By afternoon it had diminished but the flow remained. The weakest energy detected would be late at night. They couldn’t explain it.

David took this assessment and nodded gravely. He continued to hope that Adrasteia would recover but It would apparently take time. Until then he made the decision he would do his best to ensure her comfort. Adrasteia and her companion.

While not aggressively investigating, David was not above analyzing obvious clues about the heroine, especially now that she’d been claimed as Tarneeran! The companion had been identified by a few of his agents the day before after they’d run her prints they’d lifted from surfaces she’d touched. While Adrasteia’s prints hadn’t been found, the companion was identified as a Carol Toumi. Driver photos matched what the woman had looked like prior to what happened at the anniversary ceremony. What ever force had hurt Adrasteia had caused changes in Miss Toumi. And finally a link had been discovered. Carol worked at the same buisiness that the missing Gill Vehaen had worked as a personnel officer. This meant it was likely it was likely that Adrasteia was associated with the company as well. David was wary of confirming this, however, for fear of betraying Adrasteia’s trust when/if she awakened.

As he pondered these things the technician approached and advised David that the video conference was about to come on line. He nodded in acknowledgment and called for everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to make the connection!”

Under the technician’s direction the monitor came to life and after a short delay, the connecting screen was replaced with an image of a statuesque and stunningly beautiful woman who was surrounded by a handful of similarly beautiful women. The woman’s grave eyes widened slightly as the cam on his end revealed David and those with him.

With wonder, she spoke in native Tarneeran, “Ed' i' aina'! Itimori,am amin eseien lle e' rut’e? (By the holy! Itimori, am I seeing you in truth?)

Itimori stepped forward and replied, “Uma, taurn atara. Lye naa sinome.” (Yes, High Mother. We are here.)

Continuing in their language Itimori offered, “I will act as an interpreter for us all High Mother. These humans do not speak the language.”

“Itimori! Have you found my child; My Baby!?!?”, came the choked voice of Asha’s mother, Turi, as she pushed to the front. Anarra grabbed Turi to stop and steady her. One of Turi’s mates also rushed to her side.